Dan M

2002 LeMans does not have a closed loop system. There needs to be an oxygen sensor in the exhaust stream to give feedback to the ECM in order to make mixture corrections.

My mileage is better too. When stock, you are riding around flat spots generally using more throttle.

Still, might be cool to be the only kid on the block with a V-11 Winnie.

I started with M4s and no PC3 or crossover. The sound was great, somewhat louder than stock but low and not at all raspy. The bike ran well but anytime you uncork your exhaust you are making things leaner. If you have no problems now you probably won't after just doing the cans. When I swapped the crossover, I added a PC3 and then realized the biggest performance improvement. You will not get the full benefit of any intake or exhaust modification without altering fuel mapping. If sound is your goal, then go with the M4s

Still a pretty good job of editing. Most of the ancillary stuff (pedestrians, turn signals on other vehicles, pigeons) does not seem to be moving terribly fast as it would in sped up film. The motor sounds fit too.

Never heard of this guy. I like that he is focusing on one area and has plenty of info on his site. It tells me he has some knowledge in suspension. I don't like that there is no phone or address on the website. I'd want to call before ordering to see what is in stock and how fast they'll ship. Maybe send him an e-mail and see how responsive he is.

There are far fewer filter manufactures than brands. I don't know who makes what for whom these days but back in the 70's there were only a few major U.S. players, Campbell filter was one of them that made many brands and the only difference was box & paint job. Many times they even use the same part numbers from brand to brand. I'd think foreign manufacturers do much of the same.

Right Tom. Raising the rear or lowering the front decreases rake & trail which will quicken steering. (or more accurately, reduce steering effort)

Ya think?? Probably friends with Al Zymers

That's great

Lovely portrait of Hillbilly.

Right here Cat: http://www.mgcycle.com/decals.html

Hey George Welcome to this collection of Guzzisti. I don't have a maintenance schedule in front of me but if you have no records you may want to change all fluids: oil, trans, bevel drive and forks. Adjust valves and balance throttle bodies. The last two things will almost certainly reduce your vibration. I don't know what book time is for this work but a competent mechanic should be able to do all of it in four hours. If you are inclined to do some or all of it yourself, the bike is very easy to work on and this forum contains all the information & help you might need.

Completely normal. How many miles do you have?

Very nice bike Wick.

Well put Docc. The whole idea of adjustability is to make up for differences from cylinder to cylinder. In a perfect world every machined surface, valve, port and t-body would be identical, wear at the same rate and no adjustment would be needed. Until then, they will require adjustment.

So sorry to hear, this sort of thing gives me chills. Glad you're OK & hope you're back on 2 wheels soon. ATGATT is for real, plan for the worst, hope for the best...

Darryl, It's easy to isolate the trouble. Ride the bike and get the symptom to show it's face. When the brake is hot and dragging, open the bleeder. If the brake releases, the trouble is not the caliper, but something else blocking the fluid from return to the reservoir. Now, sometimes brake hoses collapse internally and keep fluid from returning to the master. Get it to happen again and open the line at the master cylinder end. Again, if the brake releases, the trouble is further up stream, (master or lack of free-play as has been suggested). If it does not, you need a hose.

Hey ratch, You have to admit, while the handling of the shown rear end may be somewhat "spongy"; traction would not be a problem regardless of surface or weather conditions.

In the dual sport compromise the KLR is certainly slanted toward dirt and the GS toward street. The GS will never be a good single track / mud bike, but it does have its qualities. Likewise the KLR will never keep up on pavement. With the right tires the GS is a great street bike. I just rode 1200 miles in Alaska most all of it unpaved and quite a bit off road on a KLR. There were various other bikes including two GSs. When the riding was on hard pack unpaved roads the GS shined. Any conditions worse than that though and the weight would take it's toll on the rider. The KLRs, while not true dirt bikes at over 400lbs, were at least ride-able in the tight stuff and deep mud. It all depends on what kind of riding you plan on doing, everything is a compromise.

As the others have said, they're two completely different bikes. I love my V11 and it is usually the bike of choice. However, if I'm taking a longer ride 2-up, the BMW comes out. To make an auto analogy, The BMW is a German sport utility; The V11 is an Italian sports car.

This is an excellent point. It should be noted that from the moment tires are installed they start to harden. Every heat cycle coupled with time slowly harden the compound. So a tire that may have had excellent traction characteristics new could have a fairly rapid break away when aged. The original poster has a 2002 (purchased new in 2005) with 8000 miles on the original tires. I had a similar circumstance buying a 2002 in 2005 with only 900 miles on it. The tires looked great but there is no doubt the effects of time made traction suffer. I think this fact plays a major roll in the conception that one brand is so much better than another after changing to new tires.

True but, sometimes better tires can save an inexperienced rider from himself. There can't be too much traction

Most modern sport touring tires will give a nice balance of traction and wear and be considerably better than the factory Bridgestones. I replaced the Bridgestones on mine with Pirelli Stradas and really like them. I have expereince with the Metzeler Z6 on another bike and they are really nice as well.